20% Off Your Favorite Beauty and Household Goods + Free Shipping

 If you think virtual shops like drugstore.com are awesome, meet Soap.com. From the creators of diapers.com, this new site offers over 25,000 products, from beauty basics to nutritional and household necessities. What's it to you? 20% off your order if you enter the code "soapnyc" before checking out, free 1-2 day shipping, promotions and coupons including a $10 credit for referring a friend.

Real Pink Ribbon Deals That Give Back 100%

In honor of the 25^th anniversary of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, your pick of goods that divvy up some profits to breast cancer awareness is big. While this charitable gesture is appreciated, putting the pink ribbon on a product also stimulates sales ... so while it might seem nice when 5% of the proceeds from your purchase is donated, the other 95% is company profit. It's way more philanthropic when a company donates most or all of the profits from your purchase to help find a cure. These budget friendly buys, priced from $2 to $20, allocate a whopping 100% of the profits to breast cancer causes.

Saks Fifth Avenue Key To The Cure Tee is designed by Donna Karan. Saks sells it for $35, and 100% of the price goes to benefit The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Kohl's Cares® Simply Vera Vera Wang Coin Purse, $10.
Kohl's Cares® Simply Vera Vera Wang Multistrand Necklace, $5.

Kudos to Kohl’s for donating 100% of profits from these and other Simply Vera Vera Wang “Pink” products to breast cancer research. More motivation to buy:
All items are $5 to $10 and shipping is a mere 99¢ each. 

PacSun’s B4Bc Another Name Tote, $9.50, displays humorous names for boobs, and 100% of sales go to B4BC (Boarding for Breast Cancer).
Buy Philosophy Shower for the Cure, $20, and Philosophy sends 100% of net proceeds to the
Women's Cancer Research Fund.

Pick up this Breast Cancer Awareness Bracelet at Payless for $2 and they donate 100% of the profits (at least $1 per bracelet) to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, plus you’re rewarded with a $5 off $25 coupon with every bracelet purchase.

Buy Avon’s Breast Cancer Crusade Lips for Life Novelty Tote, $5, and 100% of the net profits go to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. Click for details, or contact your Avon Representative.

Coming soon to an Avon Representative near you: the Marimekko designed Crusade Tote, $10.

 

CONVERTIBLE FASHION STRETCHES WARDROBE, SAVES DOLLARS

L.L. Bean was avant-garde when they introduced pants that converted to shorts over 50 years ago. Since then, convertible clothing has seen little growth except for a jacket with a zip off hood or sleeves.

This season, double duty duds get their due justice, and you benefit from the options. Innovative fashions reverse, shift shapes and transform into a multitude of looks. You can pay a fortune for the privilege, or check out budget friendly ways to double your wardrobe.
3-in-1 BOOTS
Shoe Designers had fun this fall, creating boots that unzip, unbuckle or fold down, so a single pair can be worn at the knee, mid-calf or as ankle booties. Options that retail for $450 are nice, but Charlotte Russe 3-in-1 Boot has a lot going for it at $50. Wear it uncuffed, cuffed, or folded down to a bootie. Faux leather. charlotterusse.com

 

COAT/JACKET

It’s easy to find a convertible coat for $1500, which makes the version at BCBG Max Azria, on sale for $340, a steal. Detachable option transforms it from a coat to a jacket. Detachable faux fur hood. At BCBG Max Azria.

3-WAY LEATHER GLOVES
Convertible Zip Leather Gloves … what a functional find from Michael Kors, available at Nordstrom for $150. It’s your choice: Full-length leather gloves zip down to medium and short lengths. At Nordstrom's.

Are Brazilian Keratin Treatments Toxic or Safe?

Breaking New about Brazilian Keratin Treatments, also called Brazilian Blowout:

On Thursday, Health Canada issued a warning stating the hair smoothing solution made by the California company, Brazilian Blowout, contained "unacceptable levels of formaldehyde." The brand is marketed as a formaldehyde-free, but the Brazilian Blowout solution had been found to contain 12 per cent formaldehyde. The tests and warning were sparked by six consumer and two trade complaints in June after those who worked with the product experienced burning eyes, nose, throat and breathing troubles.

Canadians would have been forewarned if they read my report on BKT (Brazilian Keratin Treatment) in the March issue of ShopSmart Magazine:

Ads for Brazilian Keratin Treatment (BKT), a popular salon technique, claim that it leaves hair smooth and healthy-looking for months. A chief ingredient in the product is formaldehyde, says Perry Romanowski, an independent cosmetic chemist, which is not banned in hair straighteners by the FDA, but it’s a probable carcinogen that can also cause eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; skin rash; and other reactions. “Some salons claim to do formaldehyde-free BKT. But if it does work as well, it probably features an aldehyde, which is like formaldehyde and is not safer,” Romanowski says. ShopSmart says Try a straightening iron. We like the Revlon Perfect Heat Ceramic RVST2001C, $30.